


Acting Manager

by Gullwhacker



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gen, Might be pre-relationship if you squint, No beta we die like the Blade of Marmora, Slice of Life, Yes there are exactly five cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:34:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28541877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gullwhacker/pseuds/Gullwhacker
Summary: Running a coffee shop with five cats and one employee was not what Keith had signed up for, but here he was - just dealing with another day in the life.
Relationships: Voltron Paladins & Voltron Paladins
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6
Collections: fandomtrees





	Acting Manager

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eastofthemoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eastofthemoon/gifts).



> This doesn't quite _feel_ complete to me - it's a fragment of an AU, an idea, maybe a beginning. But I know Eastofthemoon's tastes, more or less, and if this sparks some fun thoughts then my work is done.

"Shiro? I kind of did the thing again. Please tell me you can help."

Keith looked up from polishing the countertop of the Lions' Brew coffee and bakery. It was fairly quiet today - most students in the area recovering from the post-exam caffeine crash - so the sight of one of the regulars was a bit of a surprise.

"Hunk, right? Shiro's out of town for the week. Something about an old friend finally being back from a tour of duty. I'm acting manager in the meantime. What's the situation?"

The larger young man shifted uneasily. "Right. Uh. Not sure how you want to handle this, and this is probably a bad idea, but...one second." Without waiting for a reply, Hunk slipped out the door. At a nearby table, a younger student started chuckling.

"...all right, Pidge, fess up. I know you know something."

The green-clad student looked up from a laptop and saluted with a nearly-empty mug. "That, acting-manager, is a secret I am not awake enough to disclose. Oh, if only there were a way to rouse me enough to give you adequate warning-"

"You're still cut off from double-espressos. I could _hear_ your heartbeat last night."

"Spoilsport. Well, prepare to be surprised, then."

The bell over the door jingled as it opened - revealing a towering stack of boxes on a hand truck. Behind it, Hunk carefully maneuvered, stepping cautiously as the shop's resident cats started to prowl around him.

"Come on, Yellow, we go through this every time, these aren't for you-"

"Hunk. What...is this?" Keith could pick up on a strangely familiar aroma from the boxes - but placing it made no sense. Why would Hunk have this much-

"It's, uh. It's a new shipment of baked goods for the shop. That I made. I kind of have this...deal with Shiro?"

"That-" Keith paused, looking down as a ginger cat and a black cat prowled circuits around his feet. "All right, that explains why Shiro was so cagey about who the cafe's baker was. So you...run a bakery on the side when you're not studying? That doesn't seem very reliable."

"Not quite. Uh, the thing of it is, it's just a hobby? I kind of bake when I'm stressed?"

"...Hunk. You're a graduate engineering student. Every time I _see_ you, you're stressed."

" _Exactly._ "

Keith glanced over to the table where Pidge was busily trying not to laugh. A tap of the mug offered a price for silence, but...no. He had his convictions, and he'd stick to them.

"...all right, Hunk. We can probably turn these around quickly enough. Just...help me unload these boxes before you get back to that thesis."

"Thanks, man, that's going to make all kinds of room. Until I stress out again, that is. Yellow, I said no, those danishes are not cat-friendly!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the display case was looking more than full - it was resplendent with pastries, cookies, and assorted savoury buns. Hunk had collapsed into an armchair, an orange tabby immediately curling up in his lap, and Keith busied himself making a pot of chamomile tea.

As he set a teacup in front of Pidge, the physics student spoke up. "You know, I'm pretty sure I requested espresso. Several times."

"You did." Keith tapped next to the teacup. "And given how much sleep you haven't gotten this past week, you're getting calming tea instead."

"...Empire Coffee would serve me espresso."

"If you went there, you'd have to deal with one of Lotor's baristas, Now drink your tea, stop getting the cats to debug your code, and consider getting some sleep-"

A door opened. The lack of a jingling bell told Keith it was the back door, and he turned to see the arrival of his relief for a shift.

"...Lance. You're late."

"Lance! Finally - can you brew an espresso?" Pidge flashed a grin. "Keith here says he doesn't know how-"

"That's not - " Glaring briefly at Pidge, Keith stormed over to the counter, staring down the suddenly spooked barista. "Pidge has had too much caffeine this week already. No espresso, no matter what you are promised, understand?"

Running his hand through his hair, Lance grinned. "I don't know, 'acting manager'. That sounds like you're not giving the customer what they want. I wonder what Shiro would think of this-"

"We are not bothering Shiro. He's had enough on his plate in the last couple of months - leave him out of it." Keith turned to the back room, finally painfully aware of the ache in his feet, as Shiro's favourite black cat followed him. "Just give Pidge and Hunk something restful!"

* * *

Alone at last - save for an affectionate cat - Keith let himself fall back against the small armchair with a sigh. For a few minutes, he just exulted in the joy of doing _nothing_ \- no stretches, no pacing, not even thinking. The clink of dishes just outside the break room door suggested that either more customers had arrived, or Pidge had finally won Lance over.

Eventually, he pulled out his phone, preparing to send a text - but hesitating. His mother was still on a research sabbatical out in the middle of...Keith wasn't even sure where this one was, just that it was well out of cell coverage. Shiro hadn't taken vacation in years, and deserved some peace and quiet. And anyone else he could think to text was either busy with some project or another, or was sitting out in the cafe now.

"...what am I even doing. What was Shiro even thinking, putting me in charge? Yeah, the shop almost runs itself, but...what do I even know?"

Another jingle of the bell, and...an odd quiet. Was there a problem?

Sighing, Keith got up before his sole human employee could call for assistance. Better to get on top of it, and see what might be going on. Maybe it was another buyout attempt from Empire Coffee - or Professor Iverson trying to woo him back to the academic cesspit - or some kind of trouble.

...or the mayor's daughter, glamorous as in any press appearance, holding out what looked strangely like a resume.

"Ah - good morning! Are you the manager?"

"Acting, but...yeah." Keith's eyes followed the cats of the shop as each abandoned whatever lounging position they had to start prowling around the young woman's feet. "I'm in charge for the moment. How can I help you?"

"Well, I'd noticed the - oh, aren't these five adorable! - the 'Help Wanted' sign in the window, and I was wondering..."

"...if there was a position. Tell you what, give Lance your coffee order, pick out a fresh baked good, and we can talk."


End file.
